GJC represents Frank Gevelick, a seasonal camper in Rensselaer county, who already paid his seasonal fees and wishes to return to his camper but the County refuses to open.

Dear Friends, The Cuomo Administration took unprecedented steps to stop the spread of COVID-19, including shutting down all “non-essential” businesses. This has taken a tremendous toll on communities across the state. The term non-essential has been ambiguous from the very beginning, causing countless headaches for business owners looking to protect their livelihoods. The governor’s shutdown […]

The Government Justice Center sent a letter to the Colonie Town Supervisor yesterday advising the Town Board to both livestream and record their town meetings in compliance with state Open Meetings Law after the Board failed to do so earlier this month.

April 9, 2020 The Government Justice Center sent a letter to Governor Cuomo requesting clarification about his executive order allowing the state’s Department of Health to take medical equipment from anyone in the state. GJC Executive Director Cam Macdonald urged Governor Cuomo to “provide New Yorkers with the models and projections that justify shifting ventilators […]

March 12, 2020 A Supreme Court Justice in Niagara County has voided New York’s Public Campaign Financing and Election Commission law, adopting legal arguments raised by the Government Justice Center in a brief filed last October. Ruling in a pair of cases brought by state lawmakers and minor political parties, Justice Ralph Boniello wrote the […]

The Government Justice Center and several public policy centers filed a “friend of the court” brief in Jarchow v. State Bar of Wisconsin before the United States Supreme Court arguing that mandatory bar association fees are unconstitutional. Mandatory bar associations impose severe burdens on protected speech and association. It is a bedrock First Amendment principle that […]

GJC Sues to Stop Governor’s Unconstitutional Pay Raise

Civic engagement should be encouraged, not silenced

The Town of Boylston’s reason for refusing to abide by a FOIL request is… Quickbooks. Anyone familiar with the platform knows that records can be easily extracted and shared and this claim is nonsensical.

A FOIL request for records between two public agencies was denied for blanket exemption claims. As more and more agencies deny requests without stating explicit reasons, transparency becomes harder to grasp. GJC hopes to remedy this by setting a precedent in this case against DOL and the Town of Queensbury.